## Wheels of Time (Kent) 

**Trustees’ Annual Report for the period From 8[th] January 2024 to 30[th] September 2024 Charity registration number: 1206418** 

## **Objectives and Activities** 

The Purpose of Wheels of Time (Kent) is to advance the education of young people in history and heritage through collaboration and joint promotion of museums and heritage sites by running a scheme or schemes in Kent. 

Wheels of Time (Kent) was formed to take over the operation of the Wheels of Time badge collecting scheme in the administrative County of Kent and Medway Council areas from the unregistered, Wheels of Time network. 

The Trustees operate the Charity with due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on Public Benefit 

The scheme encourages children, generally in the age range of five to eleven years, to visit member museums and heritage venues by giving badges, unique to each venue, and award badges for collecting 10, 20, 30, 40 and all 57 badges from member venues. 

During 2024 a slow recovery from the impact of the Covid pandemic continued. 

The Charity was pleased to welcome The Lady Colgrain, The Lord Lieutenant of Kent, as its Patron. 

In the absence of an operating bank account, during the initial four months of operation, the Ashford Borough Museum Society continued to manage funds and procurement for the Wheels of Time Scheme. 

Members’ Contributions were the sole source of income during the initial financial period. These are collected during January and February, hence were collected by Ashford Borough Museum Society. 

The majority of expenditure also occurs in the first three months of the year, during which period badges, lanyards and brochures are procured. Some of these items were paid for from funds held buy Ashford Borough Museum Society. Others were paid for by the Chair of Trustees and reimbursed after the Wheels of Time bank account had been opened. 

The Trustees have delegated the operation of the Wheels of Time Scheme to a management committee, named the “Core Group”, comprising representatives of Member organisations. 

All of the members of the Core group are volunteers. The vast majority of Scheme Members are operated by volunteers one from each Member being tasked with operating the Wheels of Time Scheme at their venue. 

## **Achievements and Performance** 

As with all tourism and in person cultural activity the Wheels of Time Scheme suffered a very large drop in the number of participants during Covid and is seeing a gradual recovery from that low point. 

It is likely that many pre-covid participants ceased their involvement in the Scheme during the pandemic and we are now seeing a gradual increase in the number of new participants. 

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## Wheels of Time (Kent) 

In parallel with continuation of operation of the Scheme in Kent the Core Group are assisting the oversight of an Arts Council England funded project to expand the scheme to other areas of the country. This saw the starting of independently operated schemes in Essex and Surrey. The project has also provided the Kent scheme with a new website allowing better management of information about Member Venues and introducing an online portal permitting easier monitoring of numbers of participants. 

## **Financial Review** 

At the end of the financial period Wheels of Time holds has a balance o £ 1,700, equivalent to approximately 25% of the running costs of the Wheels of Time Scheme in Kent. 

Because most of the expenditure falls within two months it is the aspiration of the Trustees to create a reserve equivalent to one year of operational cost. If this is not achieved the Contribution required from Member organisations increases which may be considered to be beyond their means. 

Wheels of Time receives income in the form of Contributions from its Members and grants from grant making bodies. 

The difficulty in obtaining funds from external bodies could see the need to increase Members’ Contributions. If Members do not consider such an increase of sufficient value they may leave. 

## **Structure, Governance and Management** 

Wheels of Time (Kent) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation operating under a constitution based on the Charity Commission Association Model. 

Trustees are elected by Members of the Charity. 

The Trustees have delegated the operation of the Wheels of Time Scheme in Kent to a Management Committee, named The Core Group, made up of principally of representatives of Member organisations. The Trustees are Members of the Core Group. 

## **Reference and Administrative details** 

Charity name Wheels of Time (Kent) Other name the charity uses Registered charity number 1206418 Charity’s principal address c/o Ashford Museum Church Yard Ashford TN23 1QG 

## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** 

|1<br>2<br>3<br>4|**Trustee name**|**Office(if any)**|**Dates acted if not for wholeyear**|
|---|---|---|---|
||Robert Shrubb|Chair||
||David Gilbert|||
||Rosalind Meredith|||
||Brian Walters|||



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## Wheels of Time (Kent) 

## **Declarations** 

**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Signature(s)<br>Rosalind Clare Meredith<br>Full name(s)  Robert John Shrubb<br>Position  Chair<br>Date  10th July 2025<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


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## 

## 

||Bank Balance,LloydsTreasurefsAccount|t|1,751|
|---|---|---|---|
|Other Assets||||
||Oneset4 no. promotionalbanners|t|186|



|GeneralFund||2024||
|---|---|---|---|
|BalanceB/F,8thJanuary2024|t|||
|Receipts|€|5,20A.75||
|Payments||t|3,449.59|
|Current Balance||f|1,751.16|
|Receipts||2024||
|[\llember Conts<br>Grants|€<br>t|||
|Otherlncome|t|5,200.75||
|Total|f|5,200.75||
|Payments||2424||
|Supplies||e|2,582.8A|
|Other||t|866.79|
|Total||g|3,449.59|





**Statement of Accounts Wheels of Time (Kent) to 30 September 2024** 

## **Note to the accounts** 

- 1 Prior to the registration of Wheels of Time (Kent) [WoT], on 8th January 2024, the Wheels of Time Scheme was accounted for as a project by Ashford Borough Museum Society [ABMS], all funds were held by ABMS, were included in, and subject to the examination of, ABMS Accounts as reported to the Charity Commission. 

ABMS continued to accept receipts for and make payments on behalf of WoT until the WoT bank acount had been opened and all previously invoiced payment had been received. For accounting purposes those receipts and payments have continued to be treated as if an ABMS project. This statement therefore relates only to funds received into the WoT bank account (from ABMS) and payments made therefrom. 

For reference at 1 January 2024 ABMS held in its restricted account for WoT General Funds 

£       4,319.95 Since 1 January 2024, ABMS has received on behalf of WoT £       4,533.80 and has expended £       3,653.00 The balance transferred to WoT (shown as receipts in this statement) **£       5,200.75** 

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